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TEXAS FORUM • TRAVEL FORUM

For the exchange and sharing of Travel/Texas information.

Forum > New Entries
November 2005

  • Coupland Texas
    ... At first glance, there's not much here, except a church, a saloon, and a couple of old buildings. But, in truth, it's a very interesting, very creative town. For instance, it's got a burgeoning artist community. Several talented artists reside in downtown Coupland, including Jim Huntington (world-class sculptor), Wells Mason (designer and craftsman), and Dan Grife (painter from New Mexico). These days, the artists outnumber the regular businesses in the downtown area. Jim Huntington's sculpture garden, for instance, is smack-dab in the middle of downtown, kinda unexpected. Another attraction in this small town is the Coupland Inn. It's considered one of the best dance halls in Texas. It's also got a large restaurant and turn-of-the-century sleeping acommodations. Because it's such a picturesque Texas town, film crews show up all the time. Big production films like Varsity Blues, Home Fries, and Secondhand Lions are some recent examples. Music videos include Stevie Ray Vaughn and Pat Green, among others. - Lisa Mason, November 30, 2005

  • Pawelekville Texas
    Your photo entitled “signs of the times” is 8 miles south of Kosciusko at the Intersection of Highway 123 and FM 887 in a town known as Pawelekville. Pawelekville is even easier to miss than Kosciusko. Only one orange blinking light on HW 123 and a 45mph speed limit sign mark the town.

    It’s good to know that someone takes the time to keep up with the history of the lesser known areas that are barely considered “towns.” Thanks for that. - David Scheffler, Kosciusko, Texas, November 26, 2005

  • Panna Maria Texas
    I am a native Texan originally from Kosciusko, located in south central Texas. I stumbled across the TE page devoted to Panna Maria and thought that I should contribute a couple photos of the church that I captured in June of 2005 at a family reunion (my mom was a Moczygemba originally from Panna Maria). - Thanks, David Scheffler – Kosciusko, Texas, November 25, 2005


  • Mary Allen College of Crockett
    The Last President of Mary Allen College, in Crockett Texas was the Reverend E. S. Davis. For a number of years after Mary Allen closed, Pastor Davis resided in Palestine,Texas. He retired from the Palestine Independent Sschool District until his passing about 8 years ago.

    At the time that Mary Allen closed it was considered a Junior College with one of its last students becoming the first Black Warden in the history of the Texas Department of Corrections, Dr.Hubert Scott. - Rodney Paul Smith, November 25, 2005


  • Doole Texas
    My grandmother lived in the center of Doole in the 50's - 70's. Prior she lived off a county road between Doole and Stacy. I remember the store located not at the 4 way stop but further north past the school and next to the Post Office. Molly Moore owned and operated the store. At that time there were 3 grocery stores, post office, Doole Baptist Church, gin, and the unused school. There were skating parties in the high school gym. My grandmother and uncle are buried in the cemetery in Stacy, Texas north of Doole about 6 miles. - Lessie Sunvison Koester, November 22, 2005


  • Story about Coolidge Texas
    The following is an excerpt from the writings of Archibald Flint Watkins, younger brother of my husband’s grandfather. (This unpublished manuscript was written in 1956, two years before Flint’s death.) [Click here] - From Wanda Watkins, November 20, 2005

  • Lela Texas
    I've been enjoying looking at the information about Lela, TX . I am 78 years old and lived in Lela for a relative short time in 1932 or 33. My father was an Agent for the CRI&P RR and was Agent at Dodge City, KS before going to Lela. The depression was in full swing and the Railroad industry, like others, were reducing forces rapidly and without much thought about the consequences. My Dad had eleven clerks when the depression began and when they finally reduced that number to 1 he decided he just had to leave because of the work load. He looked at the current list of jobs (agents and telegraph operators) that were open for bid and decided to bid on Lela... [more] - D. Caywood, November 19, 2005

  • Lipscomb Texas
    The Lipscomb School House at one time housed the Wolf Creek Heritage Museum, but the Museum has a new building located on Hwy 305. - LaVaun Kraft, November 19, 2005

  • Oldenburg Texas
    Several years ago my folks traveled through your town of Oldenburg and took a picture in front of the store. Our family name is Oldenburg, so I thought I'd look you up on the internet. I found the information very interesting and enjoyed the pictures there. Thank you - Marcia Oldenburg, November 18, 2005

  • Phillips Texas
    Thank you for posting the follow-up from the individual setting the record straight about the town of Phillips, Tx. continuing to exist. The town did not survive the explosion of January 1980, and the 1987 was the last class to graduate from there. The town has pretty much been reduced to this website: http://www.phillipsblackhawks.com/ . This is a collection of pictures, commentaries, stories, etc. of those that attended the school during it's existence. It will give one a small feel for the kind of town that Phillips was. - Joe (Class of 1984), November 18, 2005

  • Vigo Park Texas and San Jacinto School
    San Jacinto School: your existing page on Vigo Park shows a pic stating "a doorway at Vigo Park". That structure is actually the old San Jacinto School that burned a few years ago and is located 3 miles East of Vigo Park. San Jacinto was a separate community, as told to me by Frances Henderson, the postmistress at Vigo Park. As shown in the attached pics you can make out most of the letters in "San Jacinto" still on the brick wall of the entrance to the school.

    Vigo Park, Tx: pics are the old Vigo Park school, now a community center. The School opened in 1918 and boasted up to 100 students at it's peak. It closed in 1947. The building was restored recently by the residents of Vigo Park. Not sure of population figures there (maybe 20-30?) but the Post Office is still operating there, with a total of 16 P.O. boxes. The store opened in 1907 as a 2 story structure with Dr & lawyer offices on the 2nd floor. It closed in 2004 and was the last surviving business. - David Higgins & Suzan Caudle, Lubbock, TX, November 17, 2005

  • Desdemona Oil Boom
    My Grandfather, John Robert Palmer was a farmer and teaching school in Hogtown prior to the discovery of the Duke Well in 1918 and was instrumental in organizing the mineral leases prior to the well. My father (John Derwin Palmer) wrote a Thesis for a Master of Arts Degree from Hardin-Simmons University, August 1938, entitled "The History of the Desdemona Oil Boom". I assume copies are available from the University. There is a stone marker just outside of town for the location of the first school building in Hog Creek where my grandfather taught school. As I recall my maternal grandfather Charles Thomas Moorman and family also lived in the area and was instrumental in establishing the first school. - CR Palmer, November 17, 2005


  • Jarrell Texas
    I am trying to do some genealogy research on my mother's side of the family. She grew up in Jarrell, her father was a blacksmith there, and many of her family are buried at Corn Hill cemetary. When I went to the site you have about Jarrell, it brought back many memories of time I spent in Jarrell as a child, but I was particularly interested in the picture showing the sidewalk with the names of the graduating seniors of 1929, as my aunt (Wynette Woodward) was one of the names displayed. - Donna Carter, November 13, 2005


  • Morris Ranch & other places
    My wife love going to old places......About 2 weeks ago we went to the Austin , San Marcos area (Hill Country) We found Morris Ranch, no problem with the excellent directions on your website....we were kind of disappointed that it was all fenced off......the silo was close enough to the fence to get some good pictures the large barn was just like on the website but a No Tresspassing sign kept us from getting closer.......the schoolhouse was incredible but a big gate was in the way I would have love to look inside.......We went on to San Marcos, there we found an old hospital that had at one time been converted into a college fraternity house, but now is abandonded with a somewhat spooky history of a fraternity ritual that had gone wrong ,maybe true maybe not...( I read about it in a book called Weird Texas, check it out sometime its a cool book)........Also we found an abandonded saw mill outside of Luling it was great, I think it was called Zelder Mill it was along side the River you can walk right up to it, of course you wouldn't have wanted to go inside, the historical marker said it had been abandonded since 1960......I got some pretty good pictures of all the places we visited........I am probably one of the few people in the world that still takes pictures with a film camera......so I will need to try and scan them, some of your readers might find them interesting............As usual I cant say enough good about your website...who knows where we will go next.......... Thanks. - Rodney Stegall, November 08, 2005


  • Borger and Whittenburg Texas
    Attached is a post card of the 1935 dust storm that hit the Borger area. The back side of that post card, also attached, is clearly post marked Whittenburg, Texas. Regards - Bob Walker, November 05, 2005


  • Water Tower Pictures from Lovelady Texas
    I no longer live in Lovelady, but spent all of my life there until 3 years ago. The water tower was one of the only reasons people remembered driving through Lovelady and when I was told it would be dismantled I wanted to make sure I had some pictures. It is now gone. - Loren V. Stagner, Marble Falls, November 04, 2005

  • Doole Texas
    I have hunted for several years about 5 miles from Doole and really haven't paid much attention as I stopped at the blinking 4-way light on my way to eat catfish in Brady. Since I read your article I am paying more attention to detail and have stopped to see the sights referenced.

    I agree with another visitor, this land is some of the harshest in Texas. Every plant, bush, vine, tree or living thing can and will hurt you if you don't pay attention. That being said, the rugged beauty of the country is mesmerizing and I keep coming back for more. There is a small grocery store at the crossroads called "Mavericks" and as far as I know it represents the only commercial activity between Valera and Brady. Unfortunately, the store keeps somewhat sporadic hours and one never knows if it will be open.

    The deer, turkey, quail and dove hunting is some of the best I have ever experienced anywhere. If you can avoid being bitten, stung, scratched or stuck by the bugs, critters and scrub you can enjoy yourself. Oh yeah, there are days in Doole country where the wind blows through at incredible velocity creating dust storms and resituating anything not tied down. Could be that's how the 57 plymouth came to be where it is!

    I was fascinated by the story about the black panther. While I haven't seen a black panther myself in the area, I did see what I believed was a mountain lion or wildcat last year where I hunt. The coloring (solid blond) and size suggested the animal was not a bob cat and it was way to large to be a feral cat. I elected to believe it was something other than a wild cat because there are just too many undisturbed rabbits and other small game animals in the area. - David Williams, November 2, 2005
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